12 Rounds of Thoughts - Crawford vs. Gamboa

My thoughts on Terence Crawford's sensational knockout victory over Yuriorkis Gamboa in a definite fight of the year candidate!

Round 1 – Way to represent Omaha, Nebraska! 10K… and brought the house down! Incredible energy!

Round 2 – That may have been Roy Jones Jr’s best telecast in years.  I actually enjoyed listening to him… and that’s a first.

Round 3 – Yuriorkis Gamboa’s hand speed is still there… his abilities are still there… it was evident in the first 4 rounds. 

Round 4 – The problem for Gamboa is the weight division… punches he hit Crawford with early would have put smaller fighters in a world of hurt.  Crawford absorbed them well.

Round 5 – This fight played out exactly how I thought it would… but I never expected Terence Crawford to steal the show the way he did.

Round 6 – The swing in this fight was huge! Gamboa dominated early… and looked to be outclassing Crawford until a beautiful counter right hook from Crawford took Gamboa’s legs out!

Round 7 – Say what you wanna say about Yuriorkis Gamboa, but that man has heart… legit will and determination!

Round 8 – He was dropped four times total… and would’ve kept fighting if the ref didn’t stop it.  Not to mention, hurt Crawford late in the fight, just didn’t have the energy or legs to follow up.

Round 9 – So many options for Terrance Crawford and so many mouth watering match-ups! As for Gamboa, he should move down to 130 and fight Juanma Lopez… after all these years, it would still be an exciting fight. 

Round 10 – This was definitely Crawford’s coming out party… and with his size, he has the ability to move up well. 

Round 11 – Bob Arum was quoted after the fight stating that he envisions a possible Crawford-Pacquiao fight in 2015… I’m in!

Round 12 – There’s no doubt that Crawford is the best lightweight in the world… but Junior Welterweight is where it’s at.  With a possible thawing of the “Cold War”, matching Crawford up with the likes of a Danny Garcia, Peterson, Broner would be great for boxing.  On the Top Rank side, there’s Rios, Alvarado, Bradley, Provodnikov and eventually Pac-Man.  Future looks bright for the kid.  

Errol Spence Jr. - Solid Performance by a Solid Prospect

Courtesy of www.reviewjournal.com

Through the constant regeneration of fighters in boxing, we sift through the abundance of young prospects looking for that little sign of uniqueness that can separate a boxer from the rest of his peers.  Sometimes it’s a signature punch or style that makes a young fighter stand out or even a distinctive personality.  Prospects aren’t guaranteed anything in a sport where there is no remorse for faulty projection or failure.  They have to earn true recognition or they will be exposed…quickly.

There’s isn’t a more highly touted prospect in boxing today than Dallas, TX native and former U.S. Olympian Errol Spence Jr. (13-0, 10 Kos).  He’s earned “Top Prospect of the Year” in 2012 ESPN’s Dan Rafael and is considered by many to be a future star in the sport.

Show-"Case"-time Championship Boxing

Momentum can be described as a continuous succession of positive energy.  It builds… and when it continues to build, great things happen.  No one entity in the boxing world had more momentum going into 2014 than Showtime.  Coming off one of the most impressive years in probably a decade, Showtime Boxing positioned itself to give HBO a legitimate run for the money. 

Courtesy of celebritynetworth.com 

The crown was there for the taking, especially in the midst of a cold war that has seen HBO refusing to do business with Golden Boy Promotions.  Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president of Showtime Sports, took advantage of the situation in 2013 and put Showtime in a position to take the throne.

 

Unfortunately, Showtime has been unable to build upon its momentum with a extremely lackluster 2014, hampered by an abundance of “showcase” fights (mismatches to make the A-side fighter look good).

Half the year is nearly over, and it’s safe to say that Showtime has not “showcased” one legitimate major bout.  This coming off of a year with match-ups such as Canelo-Trout, Garcia-Judah, Mayweather-Canelo, Garcia-Matthysse and finishing the year with Broner-Maidana.

12 Rounds of Thoughts - Showtime Championship Boxing 6/21/2014

My thoughts on Devon Alexander’s unanimous decision victory over Jesus Soto-Karass, Vasyl Lomachenko’s majority decision victory over Gary Russell Jr. and Robert Guerrero’s thrilling unanimous decision victory over Yoshihiro Kamegai. 

Round 1 – Now that was an excellent card by Golden Boy Promotions! Had everything… boxer vs. a brawler / boxer vs. boxer / brawler vs. brawler. Big win for boxing!  

Round 2 – Devon Alexander came out and showed why he can be a top welterweight contender… then he faded.  Good comeback performance, but Soto-Karass looked like the walking dead. So slow.  Devon should’ve shut him out.

Round 3 – Regardless, Alexander-Soto-Karrass was a good fight, much better than I thought. 

Round 4 – Vasyl Lomachenko “V-LO” has the ABILITY to be a superstar in the sport.  Right now he’s a very good fighter with the skill set to be special.

Round 5 – Gary Russell Jr. will be a very good fighter despite his loss tonight.  He just fought a fighter on another level than him.  Showed a ton of heart tonight against the best competition he’s ever faced.  He was out-gunned, but not out-willed. 

Round 6 – The body work V-LO did in this was something to marvel.  Young fighters all over the planet need to take note.  It was a sight to behold. I hope he continues to lean on his body work as the fights pile up. 

Round 7 – On top of the incredible body work, V-LO’s combination punching was breathtaking at moments.  His hook to the body followed by the uppercut may be his signature.  I could watch that on loop.

Round 8 – The 5^th and 11^th round versions of Vasyl Lomachenko may be a foreshadowing of what’s to come.  It’s obvious that inexperience is still evident with V-LO.  As he continues to fight, you’ll see him get more aggressive… and that’s where a superstar will be birthed.  Incredible stuff. 

Round 9 – Oh… and judging keeps getting worse.. and worse.. and worse.  How a judge saw VLO-Russell Jr. as a draw is mind boggling. 

Round 10 – I lost all interest in Robert Guerrero after he quit after the 2^nd round against Floyd Mayweather Jr… Regardless, incredible fight tonight vs. Kamegai.  Possible fight of the year. Not close on the cards, but EVERY round was vicious!

Round 11 – Guerrero’s a one-dimensional fighter.  He comes forward and can bang with the best of them.  That’s it. Nothing else.  So don’t fall into the trap of believing he’s more than a brawler who can’t adjust. 

Round 12 – On the contrary, there’s a number of fighters I wouldn’t mind seeing him fight.  He’s another fighter in the mix of the HUGE stable of welterweights.  I’d love to see him fight Maidana.  That would be some great theater.  

Miguel Cotto Changes the Landscape of Boxing

An aspect of boxing that separates itself from the rest is that fact that every fighter is considered a live body.  The boxing faithful may ridicule and shoot down any possibility of a comeback, but at the end of the day… words only go so far.  Once that bell rings, all bets are off and history has shown us that the unfathomable can happen.  


courtesy of mmi-boxing.si.com

Miguel Cotto walked into Madison Square Garden last Saturday night as a fighter who’d supposedly seen his best days wither away like ashes in the wind.  What made his match-up with Sergio Martinez so captivating was the fact that both fighters were on the down side of their career and were fighting to solidify their legacy.  It was a throwback bout.  The type of fight that could easily be the difference between a Hall-of-Fame fighter and a fighter who was very good, but never one of the greats. 

As history has shown us time and time again, Miguel Cotto defied the typical logic of the boxing brethren and administered a performance that may go down as the best of his career. 

Cotto proved that he is a true prize-fighter and has always conducted himself well in the ring.  He’s never been the strongest, fastest or possessed the most boxing ability, but he’s prided himself on doing everything well with the determination to chase greatness.  It’s a quality today’s average boxer can’t appreciate. 

When Sergio Martinez was beat from corner to corner last Saturday night, picking himself off the canvas four times, it was apparent that the once proud champion was in the ring with a fighter that was rejuvenated.  Cotto’s had his ups-and-downs in his career… and prior to his dominating victory over Martinez, he’s found himself on the losing end of the majority of his big fights. 

Humility and boxers is something of a far-fetched idealism that usually only becomes relevant when a fighter is finally humbled.  For some fighters it never happens and you’ll usually see them in the ring years too long.  I’d consider humility a blessing to a fighter.  Some would consider it weakness and a lack of confidence, but in a sport where attributes are predicated on physicality, pride can easily be the biggest detriment to a boxer’s career. 
There is no doubt in my mind that Miguel Cotto’s ability to succumb to humility will extend his career and legacy.  His decision to reach out to the great Freddie Roach changed the course of career and the landscape of boxing.  Cotto’s destruction of Delvin Rodriguez was the first sign of his rebirth and the out-classing of Sergio Martinez was the icing on the cake.  This is a different Miguel Cotto than we’ve seen in the past seven years. 

The quest for greatness by challenging for Martinez’s middleweight championship opened the door for some highly intriguing match-ups in the future.  He’s still in the top 5 regarding boxer popularity and will always be a major draw in New York. 

A fight with Canelo Alvarez would be the apex of this extended story.  Canelo continues to build his brand as overall the most captivating young fighter in the sport.  It would add a needed boost to the most decorated ethnic rivalry in sports, delivering Mexico’s best versus Puerto Rico’s king.  I consider both fighters to be extremely similar and the fight would provide some incredible theater. 

Word is that if Canelo beats the game Erislandy Lara on July 12^th, the epic bout between the two would be scheduled for December. 

And then there’s Floyd….

Floyd is the master of manipulating opportunity in his favor.  He’s beaten Cotto before.  He’s beaten Canelo before.  What better way to add to his legacy then to earn a middleweight title. 

The stage is set.  Floyd wins in September then challenges the winner of Cotto-Canelo for a super-rematch in May of 2015.  It makes too much sense for all parties involved and the revenue possibilities are probably as good as it gets. 

Regardless of the chain of events…. Miguel Cotto resurgence and rejuvenation has added an incredible spark and dimension to boxing’s imagination.  That’s what makes the sport so amazing and everlasting!

It only takes one fighter… or one win… or one upset to adjust the landscape of the boxing world. 

12 Rounds of Thoughts -- Cotto vs. Martinez

My initial thoughts on Miguel Cotto’s dominating victory over Sergio Martinez, winning the middleweight championship and becoming the first Puerto Rican fighter to win titles in four different weight divisions:

 

Courtesy of espn.com 

Round 1 – Bob Arum…. being stubborn about undercards is hurting your product. 

Round 2 – The purpose of undercards are to build excitement towards the main event, showcase young future talent or lead up to a future fight with a participant in the main event… tonite accomplished none of that. 

Round 3 – Thank you Andy Lee for rescuing this undercard from a complete abomination.  

Round 4 – I came into this fight thinking Martinez would be too big and too strong for Cotto… boy was I 100% wrong.

Round 5 – My stance on the fight was that Martinez would be too tough to hit and would get his pound of flesh early, and making Cotto constantly reset… not giving him a legit chance to land significant punches.  Once again, I was 100% wrong.  I will eat crow and love it. 

Round 6 – It was evident in the first round that Cotto was much stronger than anyone expected… including Sergio. 

Round 7 – If anyone can honestly say that Martinez was 100% healthy… even 80% healthy… is lying thru their teeth.. No excuses for Martinez, but his knees were nowhere close to capable of competing in this fight. 

Round 8 – No legs mean no movement… and no power… which means no chance for Martinez to win. It's time for Maravilla to retire... he's had a very good career... just short of greatness. 

Round 9 – Now to Miguel… incredible performance.  He never lost composure when he had Martinez hurt and boxed beautifully.

Round 10 – Cotto did a tremendous job of not allowing Martinez to counter him.  He won every exchange and was committed to work the body.  A+ performance!

Round 11 – I said before the fight that this fight was about legacy… and Cotto solidified his legacy with this victory.  It’s by far the biggest win of his career.  In my opinion he’s a definite Hall of Fame fighter with one of the best resumes in the history of the sport.  Congratulations Miguel on being the first Puerto Rican fighter to win titles in four different weight divisions!

Round 12 – In my mind… there’s no doubt that a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Miguel Cotto rematch is inevitable.  Too many reasons for this fight to happen… Floyd’s confident he can win… and a victory would help solidify his legacy by adding a middleweight title to his arsenal… From a personal standpoint, I’d love to see that fight. Miguel looks like a rejuvenated fighter under Freddie Roach and think it would be even closer than the first fight. Why not!